Water-level regulator.



PATENTED JULY 25, 1905.

T. FERGUSON.

WATER LEVEL REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15,1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @ETTGE.

WATER-LEVEL REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application filed February 15, 1905. Serial No. 245,703.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Brooklyn, city and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Water-Level Regulators,of which the following is a specification.

In many kinds of steam-producing plants either for steam heating orpower it is found expedient to employ a so-called open heaterintermediate the return steam-pipes and the main steam-generator. Inpower-plants this takes the form of a condenser wherein theexhaust-steam is mingled with cold water for condensation purposes.

My present invention relates to apparatus whereby the flow of watereither in or out, or both in and out, of tanks, boilers, or otherreceivers may be regulated, and in its more specific embodiment hereinshown and clescribed in detail my invention relates to aregulatingattachmentfor vessels containing both steam and water-such,for instance, as the open heaters above mentioned.

My invention can be quickly and economically applied to any tank, openheater, or other receiver, and one of its principal advantages is itsperfect reliability and its adaptability to any desired degree ofsensitiveness in regulation.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in theaccompanying drawing, which is a sectional view of the apparatus,showing its preferred relation to the tank to be regulated, and thislatter being shown broken or interrupted to indicate indefinite size.

In the drawing the main tank is shown at 1, the return steam-pipeentering at 2 and the cold-water supply coming in by the pipe 3.

At A is shown a pipe through which water is withdrawn from the tank,either to be delivered to a main boiler or to be otherwise disposed of.In any case the withdrawal of water is accomplished by the pump-5, whichis driven in any well-known manner by the steam-cylinder 6. From thecylinder 5 the water is delivered through the pipe 7.

My regulating or governing attachment comprises a relatively smallauxiliary tank 8, supported in any desired manner at such a height as toconform substantially to the desired normal water-level in the tank 1.The pipe 9 connects the main and auxiliary tanks below the water-level,while connection between the two is afforded above the waterlevel by thepipe 10, the end of which is preferably turned downward, as shown, so asto extend well toward the bottom of the auxiliary tank under the watertherein.

The pipe 9 permits circulation of water between the two tanks, and thepipe 10 accommodates the steam. Thus the water is always kept at thesame level in the two. Steam escapes from the pipe 10 into the auxiliarytank through perforations in the pipe-wall which are preferably inclinedupward, as

shown at 11. This directs the escaping steam in upward jets whichentirely avoid the movable parts of the device, thus avoiding clanger ofdisturbance of operation from this source.

Inlet and outgo of water into and out of the main tank 1 are controlledas follows: The inlet-pipe 3, which is supplied from any desired sourceof water under pressure, is provided with a valve 12,'which may be ofany desired character and is preferably a plain slidevalvesuch, forinstance, as is shown in the drawing. This valve is provided with avertical slide 13, commanded by a rod 14, which passes through astuffing-box 15 into the auxiliary tank. A spring 16 is applied so as toact on the rod 14 with a constant tendency to close the valve at 13.

I prefer to construct the auxiliary tank with an offset 17, permittingconvenient use of a rod or rods projecting from the top or bot tom, orboth. This offset is preferably provided with a cover 18, which can beremoved to permit access to the interior.

In the complete double form specifically shown in the drawing a pipe 19is provided, which leads live steam to the cylinder 6, driving the pump5. This steam is controlled by a valve 20 of appropriate character andpreferably of the sliding type shown, wherein a slide 21 is commanded bya rod 22 passing through a stufiing-box into the auxiliary tank,preferably at the offset 17. A spring 23 is applied to keep the valve 20normally closed.

In the drawing the water-valve rod 14 enters the bottom of the ofiset17, while the steam-valve rod 22 enters the top thereof. This specificarrangement is, however, not essential to myinvention. In the formillustrated the rod 14; passes through a perforation 24 in thelifting-block 25, while the rod 22 passes through a similar perforation26 in the same block. At the end of each rod there is a cross-piece orenlargement, as shown, respectively, at 2'7 and 28, and thesecross-pieces are of such a size as not to pass through the perforations2a 26. The lifting-block 25 is carried by a lever 29, pivoted at 30 to abracket 81, and a float 32 is [ixed to the opposite end of said lever.

When the water is at the desired normal level, the movable parts occupythe position shown in the drawing, with valves 12 and 20 closed and thelifting-bloek so related to the cross-pieces 27 28 that movement one wayor the other will open one valve or the other. The ball 32 is soweighted that when the water-level is materially lowered the ball willdescend and, acting through the lever 29 and lifting-block 25, will liftthe rod 14 and slide 13, so as to admit water through the pipe 3 to thetank 1. The upper valve remains unaffected, as lost motion is permittedby the related construction of the perforated liftingblock and thecross-piece 27. The new water coming in will raise the level to normal,the ball 32 will rise, and the spring 16 will be permitted to close thevalve 12 again. If condensation of steam or other cause unduly raisesthe water-level in the tank 1, the ball 32 will rise above normal and,the liftingblock 25 being depressed, the rod 22 will pull open the valve20 and admit steam to start the pump 5. This will again lower thewaterlevel and bring the ball 32 once more to normal. At the same timethe valve 12 will remain unacted upon.

While in the specific form illustrated I have shown the use of a doublelifting-block 25 and two valves, it is to be understood that myinvention is not limited to an apparatus wherein both the outlet and theinlet of water' is governed. In some installations where my device wouldbe useful only one of these functions would be necessary or desirable.

A variety of modified forms of my device can be constructed withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, and I am not to be understoodas limiting myself to the details herein shown and described.

What I claim is- 1. In a device of the class described, a main tanksupplied with water, a steam and auxiliary tank, a water connectionbetween the two, a steam connection between the two, a steampumpconnected to said tank for withdrawing water therefrom, a valvecontrolling access of steam to said pump, afloat and pivoted leverwithin the auxiliary tank, and a mechanical connection between saidsteam valve and said pivoted lever arranged to transmit motion from thelever to the valve in one direc tion, while permitting the lever to movein the opposite direction without affecting said valve, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a device of the class described, a main tank supplied with waterand steam, an auxiliary tank, a water connection between the two and asteam connection between them comprising a pipe extending downwardlyinto the auxiliary tank and having inclined perforations for escape ofsteam, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, a main tank supplied with waterand steam, an auxiliary tank, a water connection between the two and asteam connection between them comprising a pipe extending downwardlyinto the auxiliary tank close to one wall thereof and having inclinedperforations for the escape of steam, substantially as described.

at. In a device of the class described, a tank having an offset portion,a pivoted lever with in said tank extending from the main compartmentthereof into said oflset portion, a float on said lever in the maincompartment, a lifting-block on the opposite end of said lever, twoexterior valves on opposite sides of said ofi'set portion and twovalve-rods extending from said valves into said offset portion andengaging with said lifting-block, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class described, a tank, a pivoted lever withinthe tank, a lioat at one end of said lever, a lifting-block at the otherend thereof, a valve without the tank and a mechanical connectionbetween said valve and lifting block arranged to transmit motion fromthe block to the valve in one direction while permitting the block tomove in the op posite direction without affecting said valve,substantially as described.

6. In a device of the class described, a tank, a pivoted lever therein,a float at one end thereof, a lifting-block on the other end of saidlever, a valve on each side of the lifting-- block outside of the tankand a mechanical connection between each valve and said liftcross-pieceon said rod behind said perforaeach valve into the tank and each throughtion and means tending constantly to close one of said perforations,cross-pieces on said said valve, substantially as described. rods andmeans tending to hold both of said 8. In a device of the classdescribed, a tank, valves closed, substantially as described.

a pivoted lever therein, a float on one end THOMAS FERGUSON.

thereof, a double lifting-block on the other Witnesses:

end comprising two perforated portions, two H. S. MAOKAYE,

exterior valves, valve-rods extending from FLORENCE PICK.

